Authors: Gloria Harchar
"
Don
'
t delude yourself, my dear. Please. You will only get hurt.
"
The
bejeweled
ring on Teresa
'
s third finger with William
'
s crest twinkled in the late afternoon sunlight.
Nicola
wagered that she never took it off. She felt a sudden suspicion.
"
Why do you feel such an urge to communicate with William?
"
Shifting her weight on the settee, Teresa averted her gaze.
"
I won
'
t pry, but I know what it
'
s like to lose a loved one. After my mother died, I was devastated. Lots of little things
I
had done—or hadn
'
t done—tormented me.
"
Teresa
'
s stricken expression confirmed
Nicola
'
s guess.
"
My father reminisced about all the wonderful times we had shared, the times we pulled together to help each other out, the small memories that I had experienced but had forgotten. Through our remembered stories, I finally realized that she knew I loved her as much as she loved me.
"
A gasp escaped Teresa.
Nicola
grasped her hand.
"
Don
'
t you know in your heart that William recognized your love, despite any silly argument you might have had?
"
Swallowing hard, Teresa pulled back.
"
How do—I can
'
t discuss this with you. Rehashing the past only reopens wounds. If you will excuse me, I have another engagement I must attend.
"
"
Did you know that
Malcolm
married me for my dowry?
"
Startled, Teresa only stared at her for several moments.
"
I had heard rumors, but I also
saw how smitten you are with him. I didn
'
t want bring up the suggestion of a forced marriage.
"
"
How kind. But did you know that my dowry was the
Clockwork
Blue
dye
?
"
"
Ah,
ye
s. That
is...
I mean, I suppose I have heard that. Why do you ask?
"
"
Bear with me, please. Now, do you like the shade?
"
"
It
'
s pretty, I do admit.
"
Teresa gave her a puzzled look.
Nicola
withdrew a swatch of the cloth, arose from her chair and walked toward the oil of William.
"
Do you know why
Malcolm
was so obsessed with owning the d
ye?"
Teresa hesitated.
"
No.
"
Nicola
held her cloth up next to the painting.
"
Your artwork is good, but not perfect because it doesn
'
t catch the essence of your husband
'
s e
ye
s. The
Clockwork
Blue
does. I remember his e
ye
s, vibrant even as a lad, and they were the exact shade of the Blue.
"
"
You
'
ve been sent by the devil to torment me! I think you need to go,
"
Lady Teresa said, her voice shaking as much as her hands.
"
All right. But I think that if you and
Malcolm
reminisce about William, you both can heal.
"
Nicola
gathered her reticule and walked toward the door.
Lady Teresa called her back.
Nicola
turned, hope building in her chest. If she could convince this woman to reach out, maybe
Malcolm
would begin to recover.
"
You are kind. Don
'
t make the mistake of seeing
Malcolm
through rose-tinted spectacles.
"
Lady Teresa
'
s face seemed carved in ice.
"
He destroys everything good in his life.
"
With a sigh,
Nicola
shook her head. She left the depressing mansion, despairing. How could she ever make light shine upon
Malcolm
if those who knew him best insisted on keeping him in shadow? Perhaps she should look into the other accusations against him.
"
The Black Falcon
'
s new wife is coming,
"
a man with a bulbous nose said to his counterparts as they stood near the doorway, a split second before
Nicola
walked into the chamber.
The moment she
'
d had the carriage halt in front of the building with its massive columns and brick walls, she
'
d been acutely aware she was about to intrude in a man
'
s world. Now, as she glanced around, she saw men scattered about the large chamber—some at tables, some standing in clusters. She heard a few more Black Falcon remarks, then a hush descended; all looked at her as if she were a strange creature with wings. Even the dark mahogany paneling that decked the walls held gloomy disapproval.
Although she
'
d never been allowed to attend, her father had always been careful to tell her of the Guild
'
s discussions—investment and marketing ideas, upcoming bills at Parliament and how they would affect business, prices on imports and exports. Now, as she stood in the forbidden chamber, she felt like a mouse caught with a morsel of food. Since she had been bold enough to intrude upon their sacred business gathering, she could be bold enough to state her desires, so she approached the largest group. After a deep breath, she called out,
"
Excuse me. I
'
m looking for the president of your organization, Mr. Thomas Hill.
"
Everyone merely continued to look at her until a robust man with round cheeks parted from one of the clusters and approached with a swagger. He sketched her a shallow bow.
"
I
'
m Thomas Hill. What can I do for you?
"
Nicola
stared at the man and his suave smile that didn
'
t reach his
eyes
. He reminded her of a viper.
"
I
'
m here for advice.
"
"
Ah, and how may we assist your
'
"
I have a question about a particular business situation.
"
The smile he threw her was patronizing.
"
Come, come. You shouldn
'
t worry that pretty head of yours about business affairs, my lady.
"
Now she definitely distrusted him.
"
Nonsense, sir. I want to know, if a man of business wanted to unfairly discredit his partner, what, in your opinion, would be the most effective method?
"
The tolerant but bored look suddenly hardened.
"
See here. I beg your pardon, but I find myself rather uncomfortable with this conversation. We are above such here at the Guild. In fact, we advise our members on how to detect fraud, not commit it.
"
"
And I
'
m certain you are more than an expert on that.
"
She tapped her chin.
"
Tell me this. If someone was losing an extraordinary amount of money to pirates on the high seas, but the incidents always seemed limited to a particular ship, what would that indicate to your
"
My lady, I beg your pardon, but I have no i
dea. Now, if you will excuse me
...
"
He gave her a stiff bow, then swiveled and walked away.
"
Pardon me, my lady,
"
someone said from behind her.
Nicola
turned toward a slim man with a shock of white hair.
"
Excuse my intrusion, but I couldn
'
t help but overhear. I know your husband used to be in business with Mr. Hill. It
'
s said that fraudulent dealings occurred during their partnership, but recently I
'
ve heard new information about him that—
"
"
My husband doesn
'
t care for gossip.
"
"
Since he is a gentleman in trade I can well believe he answers to no rules society wishes to dish out. I admire him greatly. I
'
m Walter Busby, by the b
ye
.
"
He bowed over her hand.
"
Nice to meet you.
"